Adjustable seat support



W. S. SAUNDERS ET AL March 21, 1939.

ADJUSTABLE SEAT SUPPORT Filed Feb. 21, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS(0717156- 6: Jaw/0E6: Wren/95 r2 flf essac LOG-q [7t ATTORNEY March1939- w. s. SAUNDERS El AL 2,151,156

' ADJUSTABLE SEAT SUPPORT Filed Feb. 21, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORS. 61195756 61 Sad/V0563. BY 20M175 6% M 665606.

time 21, 1939 M UNITED- STATES" ADJUSTABLE sear smon-r was s. Saundersand Thomas a. moi-em,

Pontiac, Mich, alsignors to American For:- in: & Socket co m, Pontiac,Mich, a corporation o! Mic Application February 21, 1938, Serial No.191,680

' 6 Claims. (01. 155-14) This invention relates to adjustable supports,and particularly to an improved supporting structure for the seats ofautomobiles and other vehicles.

A primary object of the invention is to provide greatly simplified yetsturdy and easily operable supporting means or the character indicated,which enables adjusting the seat to the most comfortable or convenientposition for the occupant, yet rigidly holds it in any set position.

An important object of the invention is also to provide such anadjusting mechanism which allows longitudinal movement of the seatforwardly or 'backwardly at will, and which simultaneously changes theheight of the seat in a desirable manner.

Another object is to incorporate in such a seat supporting mechanismswinging links upon which the seat is mounted and by which it is held tothe floor or other support, all tracks, rollers and other portions aptto rattle, or to become jammed or rendered inoperative by foreign matteror rust, being eliminated.

Still another object is to provide such support- 1 ing mechanism whichis less expensive to manui'acture and to install than known types, and

which incorporates novel means whereby the weight of the seat and itsoccupant or .occupants may be partly or entirely counterbalanced,facilitating adjustment;

A still further object is to incorporate in such a link-type adjustableseat support improved and simplified latching mechanism, formedas a unitwith the aforementioned counterbalancing means, and providing for rigidlocking of the seat in any desired position of adjustmen Other objectsand advantages will be apparent from the following descriptim, whereinreference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferredembodiment .of our invention and wherein similar reference numeralsdesignate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings: 1

Figure 1- is a perspective view=oi "a vehicle seat;

partly broken away, showing the same adjustably mounted upon a floor; bysupporting mechanism constructed in accordance with the presentinvention Y Figure 2' is an enlarged side elevational view of thesupporting mechanism, partly broken away and showing the adjacent seatand floor portions in section. v

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken substantially on the lines 3-3and 4-4 respectively oi Figure 2, and lookingin the directionor the Iarrows. .7 .a

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken'substantially on the lines 5-5 of'Flgur'eT3 and looking in the j direction of the arrows; I

Figure 6 is a front elevational'vlew ofone only;

oi the pair of supporting assemblies!) Figure '7 is a plan view, withthecross-connect-f ing torque tube centrallybr'okenaway.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional detaiftaken 'sub' 10 stantially on theline 8-40! Figure 3 and'looking in the direction 01' the'arrowsgjand' IFigure 9 is a side view similar to -Figure- 2'show ingva somewhatmodifiedarrangement.

Referring now to the drawings, refelfenOe ChEf-ff 15 acter l0 designatesa vehicle seat, which-is ad the .seat being similar exeepwo lars whichwill be noted, des'criptio unit will sumce. v

The front anagram '11" re articulated at their upper ends 'to 'a om neat mounting rail 20, to which theseatjis securedas' bybolts 19. Attheir lower endsthelinks are pivoted to front and rear floorbracketsJ-IS, i4, bolted or otherwisesuitablyattached tozthe' floor. H II The links swing-invertical longitudinal plan s sothat the seat maymo've to thejfrontand'rearr With the links inclined somewhat to'warditherear, as shown, forwar'dfm veinentfoff theseat also elevates it and viceverse with'akrevers'e arrangement and forward incliri ions; the links,it will be seen that =the-mechanis child be fde pressed while movingforward I; lielinks" 15, 16 are of unequal length,'thes1ea ay'als'fbejgiven' a tilting motionduringadjustinent. I

Simple shouldered rivets as" 2i Z2 pivotally' con nect thelower ends oflinksjpftlieildorbrackets;- and a similar rivet 23 providesthe pivotalconnection between the upper end of the link l8 and seat bracket 20. Thepivotal connection between the upper end of link l5 and the forward endof the seat bracket, however, is provided by the 55 shaftilanintegralextension of which extends v -units at opposite ends oftheseat.Byfcrcing ,outwardlyandupwardlytoformthehandlell.

' ment. It will be apparent that when these parts A control assembly isprovided incorporating latching and counterbalancing means and com.-prising slidably interconnected guides ll, 8!, one

connected-to the seatjand theother to'the floor.

They are shown in the modiiication'of Figures 1 to 8 inclusive asconnected to the pivot portions II, 22, respectively, although this ismerely convenient rather than essential. The guide members are or sheetmetal, folded to substantially rectangular and tubular. form. Each guidemember carries near its pivotally attached end a spring abutment 38, 34.A compression spring II is arranged upon the assembly and trapped beandupwardly. counterbalancing, to any extent and its expected load. :Ahandle shaft section in alignment with theinterior oi the tubular guide.

members is squared, as indicated at it, or any other desired or suitablemeans may be provided for attaching to thelhandle shait a latching dog-,-which extends to the interiitting tubes. The dog normally latches theguide tubes against sliding with relationto each other, but is swingabieby the handle tofree the tubes for relative move are locked together theseat is rigidly held in position, .while when-they are released, it maybe moved within-the limits allowed by the links.

As best shown in Figure 4, the latching member ll isiimit'edlyswingable. within the guide tube assembly in'a vertical plane.'As also shown in that view. the guide'tubes are not of completelyenclosed form, being left'jop'en along pposite sides.

A continuous -opening or slot 81 is thus formed in the tube, 'sucl'islothavingits upper edge notched, as' indicatedat' I8, to receive theswing able 'end ll of dog, which is turned outwardiy through "avertical, slot 3! in the wall of theinner tube 3| ior' movement into andout of engagement such notches. By virtue of this arrangement, it beseen thatwhen the'outturned end ll of the dog is in the upper posi-'tion, inwhich it is normallyyieldablyheld by a spring {2- arrangedtherebeneath, its engagement in' one 6! the notches" locks thetubesll,82 against relative movement thereby preventing swinging of the links I,It, and rigidly holding. the math position. When the handle 80 is movedto swing the dog I. downwardly, however, to free its end ll from thenotches t8, the tubes 8|, I2 may slide within one another to allowadjustment of the seat. If the springs II are strong enough to somewhatmore than counterbalance the weight of the seat; it is only necessaryfor the occupant to i-lee after releasing the latch, to allow the'seatto come upwardly and forwardly.

while on'the other hand putting sumcient load upon the'seat pushes itdownwardlyfand to the rear when the latch is released.

It will be apparent that the latching dog It may be omitted from theassembly at one end of the seat, or that the shaft portion of handle 30resisting cross connecting means such as the tube uisprovided,connectingthefrontlinksqfthe such links to move in unison,uniform movement yofthetwoendsoftheseatisinsurcd.

What we claim is:

1. Supporting means for and or the like, comprisingapluralityoflinksarrangedtoswingina substantially parallel plane andadapted at their lower ends to be pivotally attached to a suitableinteriltted portions one of which is articulated to 2. An assembly forcontrolling movement of a device supported for movement 'in two planes,comprising a pair of guidemembers having slidably overlapping portions,pivot means for connecting the outer end of one pi said guide members toa support, pivot means for connectingthe ,outer end of the other guidemember to a sup ported object, a latch member carried by and extendinglongitudinally of one of said members and proiectable to and retractiblemm a blocking position with respect to the other to hold said members inany 0! a plurality of relative positions,

and means for operating said latch member including an operating elementconnected to the latch member and extending from one end of said 7assembly.

8. An assembly for controlling movement of a device supported formovement in two planes, comprising a pair of guide members slidabLv in-.teriitted with each other and forming a substantially tubular pivotmeans for connecting the outer end of one of said members to a support,pivot means for, connecting the outer end of the other of said membersto a supported object, latching means housed at least partly within saidtubular structure for releasably holdiing said members in any of aplurality of relative positions, spring means encircling'said assemblyand urging said members in a desired direction with respect to eachother, and means extending from said assembly substantially at one endthereof for operating said latching means.

4. Means'assetforthinclaim3inwhichsaid last mentioned operating means isarranged substantially coaxial); with one of said pivot means.

. 5. Means as set forth in'claim 3 in which said last mentionedoperating means comprises a rockable handle carried by a shaft portionwhich forms one of said pivot means.

6. Means'as set forth in claim 2 in which said guide members are 0!substantially tubular slidably interfitted form, said latch member beinhoused within the inner member and proiectable therethrmighintoengagement with the outer member.

WALTER B. SAUNDERS.

THOMAS A. MOQREGOR.

